Local Ruby Development with FlyEnv

Ruby is a dynamic, object-oriented programming language known for web development, most notably through the Ruby on Rails framework. FlyEnv's Ruby module keeps local Ruby development in one place: install multiple Ruby versions, decide which one your terminal ruby command resolves to, and bind each project to its own runtime. The module has three tabs — Ruby Projects, Service and Version Manager — focused on version installation, PATH control and project runtimes.

Ruby version management

Install Ruby versions side by side from Ruby → Version Manager and keep them all available at once.

• macOS: install from Homebrew (the ruby formula and versioned [email protected] formulas) or MacPorts; FlyEnv also auto-scans the MacPorts library directory for existing Ruby installations.
• Linux: install from Homebrew.
• Windows: install from a Static online list of RubyInstaller packages.
• Custom directories: point FlyEnv at any directory containing your own Ruby build and it appears in the list next to the managed versions.

Command-line version switching

Despite the label, the Service tab does not run a service — Ruby is an interpreter, so there is no daemon for FlyEnv to manage. The tab is an installed-versions table whose job is PATH control.

• Terminal version switching: selecting a version here decides which installation the terminal ruby command resolves to; FlyEnv adds that version's bin directory to your PATH (or removes it again) and flags whether the active PATH entry came from FlyEnv or from another tool. The system PATH environment guide explains this mechanism in detail.
• Per-version alias and remark: every installation can carry a short alias plus a note, so near-identical builds remain easy to tell apart.
• Housekeeping: each row exposes the version's install path and offers a delete action for versions you no longer need.

Project-level Ruby runtimes

In Ruby → Projects, register each project folder and bind it to a specific Ruby version instead of relying on whichever version happens to be in PATH.

• Per-project runtime: the version choice is stored in a .flyenv file inside the project directory, so terminals and editors launched from FlyEnv pick up the right Ruby automatically. See the project-level runtime environment guide and the Per-Project Runtimes feature for how the mechanism works, and the video demos for a walkthrough of project runtimes in action.
• Run as service: optionally run a project directly from FlyEnv with a custom start command, a TCP port exposed as a http://127.0.0.1:<port> link, environment variables set inline or from a file, and a sudo flag on macOS and Linux. The sidebar switch starts or stops all service-enabled Ruby projects at once.
• Open-in tools: jump from a project row into the system terminal or open the project in RubyMine with its environment loaded.

Related guides, solutions and demos

Continue with a practical guide, solution, demo, or community perspective.

Guides

• System PATH management
• Project-level runtime isolation

Demos

• Browse runtime demos

Community

• Community: installing Ruby and Jekyll locally
• Community: FlyEnv for PHP, Node.js and AI

Compatibility Notes

FlyEnv manages Ruby version installation, PATH switching and project runtimes; it does not bundle gem, bundler or framework tooling beyond what each Ruby build itself provides. Available install sources differ per platform — there is no Static source on macOS and Linux — so treat the Download page and current release notes as the source for supported packages.